Bad cinema experience

My friends will tell you how particular, pedantic and slightly obsessive compulsive I am about my cinema experience. You see, one of my favourite things to do is go and watch a movie on the big screen. I love it.

And I love our blockbuster season when all the big gun movies come out.

So I was slightly annoyed and mildly irritated that this evenings cinema experience has been a bit of a let down. I will explain.

I have been waiting to see the new Transformers movie and planned to see it tonight at 6.30pm. I rang the cinema around 4pm to confirm the time, only to be told it had been sold out. Big letdown number 1. The only other movie that interested me was The Proposal, so I decided to see that.

The cinema had about 10 other people in, so I took my usual seat, which is in the middle, two seats in from the right. I like that seat. I spread all my gear out, like I always do, my softdrink on one side and my water on the other. My bag on the seat next to me and my coat on the other. See, I am OCD about this, and my friends know it, but damnit, that's the way I like it.

So bugger me if a couple doesn't come in and sit DIRECTLY behind me. And start opening their crinkly, crackly bags of food right in my ear. When there are 50 other seats vacant. Big letdown number 2. I thought about moving across the isle, but I like this seat. So I put up with it.

Big letdown number 3 was when this big loud grinding sound started coming from the screen, it seemed, so much so that I could hardly hear what the actors were saying. This went on for about 1 hour, and as the movie wasn't really my cup of tea, I just let it go. Then the lights came on, the movie stopped and we sat there like stunned birds in the light.

The movie came back on, sans noise and it was uneventful til the finish. I felt really ripped off, paying $14.00 for a crap movie, one that I couldn't hear and with interuptions, so I marched up to the counter to ask for a refund or a free ticket because for $14.00 I expect a bit better service. And I can be a bitch about things like this.

At this time the next viewing of Transformers was just about to start, so every teenager from a 20 km radius was here, so the assistant asked me to wait by the other counter til he was free. One assistant for the busiest time of the night. Where's the rest of the friggin staff?

I waited for 10 minutes then left as it would be another half an hour before he would be free. And who knows if I would even get a refund. So I drove home, feeling ripped off, unsatisfied and annoyed that my cinema experience was crap.